Flowers, Chocolate, And Something Warm
by simply-aly
Summary: The day started out normal enough, except for the flowers sitting outside her tent. [future canon fluff with a Valentine's twist]


The day started out normal enough, except for the flowers sitting outside her tent. She doesn't pay them much attention as she picks them up and takes them to medical. They're an important ingredient in a healing salve for burns, after all—someone probably found them and left them where she'd surely see them.

She takes them to medical and adds them to the inventory list. Before setting them down, she puts them to her nose, breathing in the rich, wonderful smells. She's smiling when Harper comes in for her lesson that morning.

-x-

Later, she doesn't find anything strange about Bellamy coming in at lunch time with some rations for the both of them. She often forgets to eat, and he often brings her food. They've done this enough times now that Clarke's already getting their space cleared in the corner as soon as she sees him with the tray.

He tells her about his day so far. "Miller nearly blew up on Tanner for forgetting his shift this morning, and Jasper's been nervous all day."

Clarke smiles. "You've scheduled Miller on a lot of late night watches, he's probably getting sick of the strange sleep schedule," she comments.

Bellamy shrugs. "I think he likes the dark," he says then adds with a small knowing smile, "and, anyways, Harper's always keeping him company up there."

Clarke's eyes widen. "Is that why she was so tired during her lesson with me today?"

And so it continues. There still aren't a lot of them at camp—a newly established settlement away from the Ark, back at the dropship site—after more than a year apart, so Clarke isn't always treating patients in medical. She has, however, taken to giving lessons to their residents for most minor injuries and their remedies on hand so she isn't inundated with the small things all of the time.

Similarly, Bellamy and Octavia (with Lincoln every now and then) have held individual training courses to make sure all of the camp residents can defend themselves.

-x-

Later, it's Octavia who gets Clarke wondering. "Apparently Bellamy's been spreading stories of Old World traditions again," she comments when she comes into medical with new rations gathered from her group's scouting expedition. "Jasper's been fretting all day about what to present Maya for Valentine's Day, and Miller's taken Harper who knows where, not to mention what Fox and Newt are up to behind the smokehouse."

"Valentine's Day? The love holiday from Before with all the hearts and flowers?" Clarke's a little confused, even as Octavia nods.

They didn't celebrate holidays on the Ark. Well, maybe they did at first, when there were gifts to be made and time to be spent on such things, but that only lasted about thirty years, then things changed. And from what Clarke's been told, the Grounders don't keep the Old World holidays. They have their own now.

Octavia shrugs. "Well, to be fair, he was speaking of some old Roman saint and the beginnings of the holiday, but you can probably guess what part the rest of them were more interested." She twirls a yellow flower in her hands. "I think Lincoln heard enough of it to believe I want to be involved some how in this madness."

Clarke's grabbing paper and pencil and taking inventory of their new stock. "Well, do you?" she asks.

"I don't know," Octavia replies. "I mean, I want him to tell me or show me that he loves me, but I don't want it to be for some stupid Old World tradition based on a facts no one even remembers anymore except for my stupid brother who knows everything Roman."

Clarke smiles fondly. She's heard a lot of Bellamy's stories, too, after all. "You could tell Lincoln that," she says to Octavia, "or you could do something to show him how much he means to you—something all your own."

"That's a good idea, Clarke," Octavia responds.

Clarke nods, focusing on the inventory in front of her, looking for the plant Octavia mentioned when she came in. "Now, where did you tell me the—" she cuts herself off as she turns around, noticing that she's the only one in the room.

-x-

Much later, when night falls, she returns to her tent to retrieve one of her furs. Sitting amongst her bed furs lies one she does not recognize. Clarke walks over to it curiously and picks it up. It's a cape, she notes with a smile. As she inspects it more closely, she begins to recognize the animal it was made from. Bellamy's prized kill the other week. A rather large black panther with a strange white stripe down its back.

She picks it up, wraps it around herself, and walks over to the large fire outside. She smiles when she sees Jasper and Maya and Harper and Miller looking cozy. Things must have turned out alright for them, she notices. She also can't find Octavia anywhere, so that must be going well, too.

Clarke sits beside Bellamy, like she always does, and studies him closely. His concentrated expression holds steady for over a minuet before he smiles down at her. "Enjoying the warmth, Princess?" he asks loudly.

Clarke barely has to look around to see the smiles directed at the two of them. Perhaps she should have pieced it together long ago—they all seemed to have figured it out long before she had.

Finally, she nods as she leans against him. "How long have you been working on it?" she asks.

"'Bout a week now, ever since I told them the story of Valentinus. It got me thinking."

"I didn't get you anything," Clarke murmurs.

"That was never my intention. I just wanted you to have this. You needed it, and this seemed like a good occasion—something for them all to look forward to."

"And the flowers?" Clarke asks pointedly.

Bellamy shrugs. It's dark enough that without the fire, she wouldn't have been able to see the slight tinge on his face. "Thought you'd like them."

Clarke nods. "I did. They were very beautiful."

-x-

Before she falls asleep that night, she rolls over an stares at him. "What about lunch?" she asks.

"What about what?" He seems confused. Clarke figures it's all the activity they've just participated in.

"You took me lunch today. How did that factor into your plan?"

"Who says it did? Maybe I just wanted to eat with you."

Clarke stares down at him.

Finally, he cracks. "Monty was experimenting; there was cocoa in the moonshine."

Clarke's laugh can be heard by all.


End file.
